Table soccer or football game structure

ABSTRACT

A table football or soccer game structure including a table with sides having an upper edge including seats therein providing slidable support for miniature dummy player carrying rods extending crosswise to the table. The rods are slidably received within bearing blocks insertable inside the seats and the bearing blocks are retained inside the seats by means of a strip member having a U-shaped cross section and slidably mounted astride of the upper edges of the sides. The strip member has internal longitudinal ribs for sliding engagement within longitudinal grooves provided on the side of the table.

United States Patent [191 Cecchetti 1 Apr. 3, 1973 [54] TABLE SOCCER OR FOOTBALL GAME STRUCTURE [76] Inventor: Claudio Cecchetti, Via Verdi 50,

Cernusco, Italy 221 Filed: Mar. 1,1971

21 App1.No.: 119,692

[52] US. Cl. ..273/85 D, 308/24, 308/DIG. 10 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 7/06, F160 35/02 [58] Field of Search ..273/85 C, 85 D, 94 C, 94 D;

308/DIG. 10, 22, 24; 287/3, 51

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 317,674 5/1885 742,905 1 1/1903 3,143,333 8/1964 2,215,687 9/1940 2,769,638 11/1956 Knapp ..273/85 1) FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 415,260 1934 Great Britain ..273/85 C 394,582 1933 Great Britain .L ..273/94D Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Paul E. Shapiro Attorney-Guido Modiano and Albert Josif [57] ABSTRACT A table football or soccer game structure including a table with sides having an upper edge including seats therein providing slidable support for miniature dummy player carrying rods extending crosswise to the table. The rods are slidably received within hearing blocks insertable inside the seats and the bearing blocks are retained inside the seats by means of a strip member having a U-shaped cross section arid 'slidably mounted a'st'ride of the upper edges of the sides. The strip member has internal longitudinal ribs for sliding engagement within longitudinal grooves provided on the side of the table.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 3 I975 3. 724,851

IN NTOR Claudio CECCHE BY gag- Q AGENT TABLE SOCCER OR FOOTBALL GAME STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in a table soccer or football game structure of the type including a table with sides having seats therein providing slidable support for miniature dummy player carrying rods.

In particular, the improvements are directed to means, employed to maintain the rods in seats. The rods are rotably and axially slidably engaged in appropriate seats formed near the upper borders of the sides of the football game table. Normally such retaining means or elements comprise wooden, metal or plastic strips, connected to the upper borders of said sides by means of riveting and/or screws. With such fixing systems disadvantages which are not negligible occur. For example when said retaining elements are directly applied to the table football game structure in the factory, it has considerable overall dimensions and is not economical on occasions of storing and transporting. When instead the above mentioned over-all dimensions are reduced to acceptable ones, that is to say when the storing and transporting takes place with the structure in pieces, the user of the individual table football game structure has to provide directly to the mounting of retaining elements, by means of riveting and/or screws.

Another disadvantage is that, in the case of removal of the rods from their respective seats, for maintenance or for other reasons, the removal of the retaining ele ments is made necessary. This operation is laborious and is not exempt from risks of breaking the strips, which constitute the retaining elements and with the necessity of their substitution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is that of producing an improved table soccer or football game structure, in which such retaining elements connected to the upper border of the sides of the football game table are used, which do not require riveting or other fixage systems of this type. In this way it avoids the disadvantages described v above, without contravening those desired characteristics of stability of the rotable engagement between the rods and their respective housing seats.

Another object of this invention is that of producing retaining elements of the above mentioned type which use, and which application to table soccer football games of known type, does not require laborious manufacture preventing adaptation to such a game, nor the employment of other devices of delicate construction.

The last but not least object of this invention is that of providing a retaining element of the type in question, of which the easy production allows the use of materials of normal commercial stock, as well as known working type, in a way which is also advantageous from the strictly economical point of view.

These and still other objects, which will better appear from the following, are achieved by a table football or soccer game structure including a table with sides having an upper edge including seats therein providing slidable support for miniature dummy player carrying rods extending crosswise to the table and retaining means for retaining said rods in said seats, wherein said retaining means comprise a strip member with a substantially U-shaped cross-section including leg portions of the U-shape and a web portion thereof connecting the ends of said leg portions and arranged astride of said upper edge over said seats to retain said rods slidably in said seats and wherein said sides and said strip member have mutually engaging means, providing removable mutual engagement therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other characteristics and advantages will better appear from the detailed description of an embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example in the enclosed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows perspectively and in partial section a part of the table soccer or football game structure with the retaining element; and

FIG. 2 shows, at an enlarged scale and in section a detail of said table soccer or football game structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the above said figures, the football or soccer game table, generally indicated with 1, has sides 2, provided with cavities or seats 4 near to the upper borders or edges 3, at equal distances apart. The rods 5 extend crosswise to the table 1 androtably engage in said seats 4, maneuverable by hand grips 6, which as known, support mock or dummy players 7. In one possible embodiment the use of shaped bodies or bearing blocks 8 may be provided for the rotable and slidable engagement between the rods 5 and the corresponding seats 4. The blocks 8 have a friction bearing function. These blocks 8 are arranged in the seats 4 and have, laterally, shoulders 8a and 8b which rest on the faces of the sides 2. Also an axially slidable movement of the rods may be made possible by the blocks 8. Near the upper border 3 of every side 2, longitudinally and parallel to the border and on both the faces of the side,

grooves 9 and 10 are formed, into which the projections or longitudinal ribs 11 and 12 of a strip member 13 are slidably engaged. These projections 11' and 12 are provided internally to the strip member 13 of a mainly U shaped cross-section. This strip member 13 constitutes the retaining element. Once slidingly engaged in said grooves 9 and 10, it is placed with the end portions of its wings or side portions 13a and 13b, turned downwardly against the upper border of the lateral shoulders 8a and 8b of the anti-friction body 8. In such a way the retaining element actively aids to maintain the rotable rods 5 in their seats. Connecting the ends 13a, 1 3b.of the strip member 13 is a web portion thereof having a width corresponding to that of the.

said seats, said retaining means comprising bearing blocks insertable within said seats and slidably receiving said rods and a strip member of substantially U- shaped cross section having side portions and arranged astride of said upper edge of said sides, said sides and said strip member having mutually engaging means for removable mutual engagement therebetween which comprise at least one longitudinal groove parallel to said upper edge provided onsaid sides and at least a longitudinal rib projecting inwardly from at least one of said side portions and adapted slidably to be received in 7 said groove,- said side portions further having an end portion for retaining said bearing blocks within said seats.

UMTED s mfms; PATENT GFFICE CERF-IFECATELQfifiORRECTWN Patent No. 3 Dated April 3 1.973

Invc ntor(s) Claudio CECCHE'LTI, ia erdi 5 CernuscO sul Na igliofiiilan \y 7, It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby, corrected as shown below:

In column 1, between lines 4 and 5 insert the following:

-- Foreign Applicati0nJ ri0rity Data March 11, 1970 Itaiy...........2ll84 B/7' Signed and sealed this. 19th day of February 1974.

(SEAL). Attest:

EDWARD M. FLETCHER IR. C MARSHALL DANN Atte tlng ffl r Commissioner of Patents 

1. A table football or soccer game structure comprising a table with sides having an upper edge including seats therein providing slidable support for miniature dummy player carrying rods extending crosswise tO the table, and retaining means for retaining said rods in said seats, said retaining means comprising bearing blocks insertable within said seats and slidably receiving said rods and a strip member of substantially U-shaped cross section having side portions and arranged astride of said upper edge of said sides, said sides and said strip member having mutually engaging means for removable mutual engagement therebetween which comprise at least one longitudinal groove parallel to said upper edge provided on said sides and at least a longitudinal rib projecting inwardly from at least one of said side portions and adapted slidably to be received in said groove, said side portions further having an end portion for retaining said bearing blocks within said seats. 